Great Galleries: Alte Pinakothek, Munich Quiz

Answer: Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was born in Nuremberg in 1471 and he had established a Europe-wide reputation by the time he completed the "Paumgarten altarpiece" at the turn of the century. This wonderful triptych depicts Saint George on the left panel and Eustachius on the right, with a nativity scene in the centre.

One of the most important of all German artists, Durer has his own room at the Alte Pinakothek. Other works on display here include the "Portrait of Oswolt Krel" triptych, the giant "Lamentation for Christ", his 1516 "The Madonna of the Carnation", the haunting "Suicide of Lucretia", the intricate "The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin" and one of his last but best-known works, painted in 1526, the two panels depicting "The Four Apostles". Also here is one of the highlights of the entire collection, Durer's famous Jesus-like "Self-Portrait with Fur-Trimmed Robe".

Answer: Bartolomé Murillo

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was born in Seville in 1617. Many of his early works, including the featured painting, depict the ragged boys and the flower girls of his native Seville. Other than a few notable and particularly lifelike portraits, his later works are mostly religious scenes. These are easily recognizable by the illuminated mist, angels and cherubs with which he surrounds the central figures. Murillo fell from the scaffold whilst painting the "Espousal of St. Catherine" on the wall of a Cadiz monastery and the injuries received led to his premature death in 1682.

Most of Murillo's works can be found in the major Spanish galleries: 42 of them in the Prado in Madrid and 15 in the Fine Arts Museum of his native Seville. A further nine also adorn the walls of the Cathedral of Seville. Substantial collections Murillo works outside Spain can also be found at The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and The Louvre in Paris.

Answer: Giotto

Giotto di Bondone was born near Florence in 1266. Later biographers identified him as the first artist to make a serious break from the traditional Byzantine style of art prevalent at the time. His masterwork is a series of frescoes adorning the 'Scrovegni Chapel' in Padua. Other works can be seen at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi and at Florence Cathedral.

Giotto's paintings are relatively rare in the major galleries, so it is a bonus to be able to see both the featured work and Giotto's famous "The Last Supper" at the Alte Pinakothek.

Answer: Hans von Aachen

Born in 1552 in Cologne, Hans von Aachen took his name from the northwestern city from which his parents came. Although he was a highly productive artist, most of his works are cabinet paintings (the featured work is just 22x18.5 inches, for example), rather than the massive canvases on which many of his contemporaries worked. Particularly known for his portraits or princes and other aristocrats, von Aachen also produced numerous historical, genre and religious paintings.

Von Aachen's work can be seen in most major museums in the German-speaking part of Europe. His 1574 self-portrait hangs in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in his native Cologne, and "Laughing Couple" (half of which is another self-portrait) hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The Vienna gallery is also home to one of von Aachen's best-known religious works, "Bacchus, Ceres and Amor", whilst "The Amazement of the Gods" is displayed in the National Gallery in London.

Answer: Anthony van Dyck

Antoon van Dyck was born in Antwerp in 1599. Although successful in both Italy and Flanders before he came to England, Sir Anthony van Dyck is probably most famous today for his portraits of King Charles I and his family. He remained an important influence on English portrait paining throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, and now even has a style of beard named for him.

Other works by van Dyck that can be seen at the Alte Pinakothek include the 1634 post-crucifixion "Deposition" and the massive (76x57 inch) "Susanna and the Elders".

Answer: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was born in Paris in 1699. A master of the still life, in 1757 Chardin was given private studio space in The Louvre by King Louis XV. Although best-known for his still life paintings, Chardin also produced numerous works in the genre category (such as our featured work) with kitchen maids, children and domestic activities his favoured subjects. He painted many of his works more than once, often will little discernible difference between the variations.

The paintings of Chardin can be seen at galleries around the world, from the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. to the 'Nationalmuseum' in Stockholm and the Puschkin Museum in Moscow. The largest collection of his work is displayed at the Louvre in Paris, where he has his own room.

Answer: Titian

Born Tiziano Vecelli in the commune of Pieve di Cadore near Venice sometime around 1488, he is known today simply as Titian.

The works of Titian can be seen in almost every major gallery worldwide. Some of his most impressive paintings, though, can only be seen in situ, such as his enormous "Assumption of the Virgin", which took him two years to complete, and remains today as the altarpiece at the 'Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari' in Venice. As well as "Vanity", the Alte Pinatothek collection also includes Titian's portrait "An elderly Karl V (also known as Don Carlos I of Spain), ruler of the Holy Roman Empire". (He was also Charles I, Lord of the Netherlands from the age of six, in 1506 until shortly before his death in 1558).

Answer: Hans Memling

Hans Memling was born sometime around 1430 in the historic town of Seligenstadt, in the Offenbach district near Frankfurt. Whilst in Brussels, Memling spent time at the workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, who was already an internationally famous artist. After can der Weyden's death in 1464, Memling moved to Brugge, where he established a reputation as one of the leading artists on the era.

Memling's best-known works include the 7-panel altarpiece for Lübeck Cathedral (today displayed in the St. Annen Museum, Lubeck) and his "Last Judgement" triptych, now part of the collection at the National Museum in Gdansk. "The Seven Joys of the Virgin" (sometimes also called "The Advent and Triumph of Christ") depicts the legend of the Magi in the centre, with scenes from the life of Mary on the left and the story of Christ on the right.

Answer: François Boucher

François Boucher was born in Paris in 1703. A painter, draughtsman and etcher, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most important decorative artist of the 18th century. He produced numerous works featuring idyllic, allegorical and and pastoral scenes, as well as numerous portraits.

"Resting Maiden" is thought to be a portrait of Marie-Louise O'Murphy (1737-1814), a mistress to Louis XV of France, who would have been just 15 when Boucher painted this scene. Boucher's major patron was another (and chief) mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour (Jeanne Antoinette Poisson 1721-64), and the Alte Pinakothek collection also includes a 1756 portrait of her by Boucher.

Answer: Adam Elsheimer

Adam Elsheimer was born in 1578 in the German city of Frankfurt am Main. Most of his paintings were small-scale works done on copper plates. Friends with Rubens, he spent much of his working life in Rome, and the his style is a mix of Italian influence combined with North European roots.

Particularly known for his cabinet paintings, "The Flight into Egypt" is a classic example, measuring just 12x16 inches. Probably his last completed work, Elsheimer died having completed only around 40 paintings (and this canvas was hanging on his bedroom wall). Two of his paintings can be seen at the Alte Pinatothek, three at the National Gallery in London, and other examples at galleries in Dresden, Hamburg, Bonn and Berlin. The largest collection of his work, though, can be found in his home town of Frankfurt.